{"nrhp_refnum":"74002244","name":"Buena Vista","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Penmar Ave. and 9th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Roanoke (Independent City)","county":"Roanoke (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.26415935850005,"lon":-79.92418350596026,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-07-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Buena Vista is a two-story Greek Revival plantation house at Penmar Avenue and 9th SE in Roanoke, Virginia, built around 1840 for George Plater Tayloe on a hill below Mill Mountain.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an imposing ante-bellum plantation house and a notable example of Greek Revival architecture built by local master builders who learned Greek detail from architectural handbooks. It is also tied to George Tayloe, a legislator and longtime supporter of Hollins College. Its park-like hilltop setting contributes to its character.","narrative":"Buena Vista is a Greek Revival plantation house on a hill below Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. Built around 1840 for George Plater Tayloe, it has a two-story main block, a three-bay wing to the east, and a massive two-story Doric portico on the facade. Tayloe, son of the Mount Airy Tayloes, came west to manage the family iron furnaces and acquired the 598-acre tract in 1833. The house reflects the style prosperous planters in central and western Virginia favored in the 1830s, with details drawn from architectural handbooks by local builders. Interior changes, including the stairway and elliptical arch, are thought to date from about 1889. Tayloe served in the state legislature and long supported Hollins College as a trustee and chairman. The city of Roanoke bought the house in 1937 and has used it as a park and recreation center. A modern rear addition from 1962 detracts from the original design.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is marked fair and altered; the city has used the property as a city park and recreation center since 1937. A 1962 rear addition is described as disfiguring the rear elevation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.592035-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/6833/41683321/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/74002244.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002244/a070e49b16-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002244/a070e49b16-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BUENA_VISTA_ROANOKE_CITY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BUENA_VISTA_ROANOKE_CITY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683321","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buena_Vista_(Roanoke,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16848684"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/roanoke/buena-vista-74002244/"}